Spring break: fillies gone mild
The barony was overrun with teenagers, who ran amok. They were everywhere, shouting, galloping about, occasionally flirting with one another, and it was wonderful. Sundance saw his barony as he hoped it one day would be; because of this, he was now more determined than ever to get from this point to that point, no matter how distant and difficult it might be.
He stood atop the high promontory, where the old tower once stood, and watched as his barony was overcome with life. Surveyors were surveying, getting a lay of the land. A rather sizable group had gone off to the orchard ravine, to clear it out, clean it up, and to see if the burrow houses could be salvaged. Still others had gone off to inspect the old cellar, and see what could be done. It wasn’t even noon yet and it felt as though so much was being accomplished.
A few had gathered around the waterfall basin, trying to understand how the waterfall dumped so much water into said basin, but it never seemed to overflow or flood. Sundance wondered about it himself, and just assumed that the water flowed through the porous rock and into some underground reservoir. It was a peculiarity of the barony, and a part of him was proud that outsiders had taken interest.
An army of wood-shapers had gathered around Grandmother Oak and held some sort of odd communion. Sundance didn’t understand magic, not even in the slightest, but these kids were having the time of their young lives. The mighty remains of the once noble, majestic oak would be moved soon, and laid to rest upon a foundation bed of gravel.
Hearing the crunch of gravel behind him, Sundance turned around to see Skyla and Corbie approaching. Skyla looked a bit more regal today, even wearing sunglasses, and she strode with an almost hypnotic fluid grace that demanded attention. The pair were almost the same age, which was hard to believe because Skyla was just… bigger. He found it odd that they did not fly up to meet him, and stood wondering why.
“You know,” Skyla began as she approached, “when everypony is working and one pony is standing around, they’d be accused of being a lazy oaf. But not you. There is something purposeful in how you watch, Baron Sundance.”
Squinting, he wasn’t sure how to take this statement.
“Authority is comfort,” the pale pink filly continued. “Guards wear armor. Police wear uniforms of some sort. We equines are herd animals with complex evolution. I cannot help but wonder, do you understand the comfort that you provide for these poor, troubled souls? They have no guards, no police, and the previous lord, the very pony who should have been defending them according to the feudal contract, was their greatest danger. By standing watch the way that you do, you are restoring order. Authority, as I stated a moment ago, is comfort.”
Yep, he was way out of his league.
“It would behoove you to establish authority as soon as equinely possible. You need guards. Your subjects will work harder when they’re not having to look over their shoulders, fearful of danger. They’ll sleep better at night, secure in the knowledge that they are protected. That they can see their lord standing watch over them is a good start. It does much to alleviate the previous lord’s many transgressions.”
The first words that lept to Sundance’s tongue died suddenly, and he found that he lacked replacements. Skyla was smarter than him, more educated, and she spoke with a cool confidence that he found that he envied. Last night, she had been out of sorts, but now, at this moment, she was clearly the princess in training. As Nuance had stated, she was born to rule, as evidenced by her cutie mark.
“We discussed much last night during our meal. Well, I didn’t have much to say, but the rest of you covered a lot of much needed ground. Baron Sundance, there is one thing I would like to clarify, so that we might stand on even hoofing. May I?”
“Please do,” he said, content to listen and maybe learn something.
“Last night, you said that you have nothing to offer. That is simply not true.” Skyla now stood beside Sundance, and she looked down on the teeming masses below with a soft, demure smile. “You have shown yourself to be trustworthy, and filled with a sort of simple goodness. Right now, you are entrusted with our care. Our parents are persnickety with whom they trust with our lives and well being—and for good reason, Baron Sundance.
“But”—she paused with a sharp inhale—“we have to learn somehow. To be fit to rule, we have to learn how to ply our skills. Your barony is an ideal classroom. A safe space. You—you—are being trusted with our care, and that is an asset, a resource. As long as you continue to be trustworthy, and you prove that you are mindful with our care and good treatment, every conceivable asset will be poured into your barony so that it can serve as our classroom.”
“Why tell me this?” Sundanced asked, as suspicion tickled the back of his mind.
“Equal hoofing, as mentioned just a moment ago,” the filly replied.
“Equal hoofing?”
“Yes, equal hoofing.” Sighing, she waved one wing to emphasise her point. “It doesn’t matter that one day I’ll be the Empress. I don’t see much of a difference between an empress and a baron. We’re public servants. Keepers of the public trust. Titles and trappings mean very little to me. If we are to work together, we must do so as equals. I can’t have associates worrying about how to appease me, or how to curry my favour. I find it distasteful and inefficient. One day, I will wear a crown, and it will be unbearably heavy. I need like-minded allies to help me hold it up. I don’t want sniveling underlings kowtowing to me.”
Unconcerned about regality, Corbie sat down upon a weathered stone block.
Sundance looked at the alicorn filly and allowed himself to envy her. When he was her age, he could barely plan the period between home room and lunch. The weekend was just about the limits of his forward thinking, but even that was stretching it, because he made most of his plans on the fly. He started to wonder what he was doing here in this place, and if he was truly cut out to do the job required of him here.
“Self-doubt does not become you, Baron Sundance.”
“How—”
“Don’t ask how, as that does not become you either,” Skyla said with cool wit. “It makes you appear clueless. Even if you are clueless, and trust me, there are many occasions where I am clueless, you shouldn’t reveal yourself to others. Hold it in, Baron Sundance. Display poise. Exude confidence.”
“But—”
“I said show some confidence!” Skyla barked.
The sudden change in her demeanour startled him, and Sundance took a step back. Thankfully, he had room, and didn’t take a tumble over the edge of the promontory point. Alicorns at any age were just… weird. But, after a bit of careful consideration, he decided that he liked Skyla. At least she was straightforward—which Princess Celestia wasn’t. Of course, he understood why Princess Celestia wasn’t; she wanted him to learn, to stumble a bit, and find his own way. While he valued that, and saw wisdom in it, he found that he liked Skyla’s earnestness.
“You stand up here, the proverbial cock upon the rock, the proud rooster that greets the dawn. Your confidence is their confidence.” Skyla made a broad, sweeping gesture with her wing. “Do not give them reason to doubt, Baron Sundance. For them, a proud, confident baron is their security. You have no guard armor, no police uniform. All you have is your confidence. Show it!”
That made sense. Maybe a bit more swagger was in order. But not too much. He wondered where the fine line between arrogance and confidence existed, and the idea that his subjects watched him for the sake of their own secure happiness filled him with some sort of emotion that he’d never experienced before, something that compelled him to push beyond his natural submissiveness.
“I’m bored,” Corbie announced. “I’m not good at stuff. I feel fat, clumsy, and stupid right now.”
Skyla’s eyes—just barely visible through her sunglasses—darted in the direction of her friend, as if she was compelling Sundance to do something. Sundance did his best thinking under pressure, when action was needed, and so he flogged his brain for a solution. Corbie was a glum filly at the moment, and Skyla was still doing that thing with her eyes, a silent command, a call for action.
“Corbie, I have a job for you,” Sundance said as inspiration seized him.
“Is it a hot, sweaty job that is gonna leave me feeling faint, sweaty, sticky, and gross?”
“No, but it is a very important job. I need somepony I can trust,” he replied.
“Oh?” Corbie turned to look at him, and he could see how miserable she was.
“Come with me,” he said to the forlorn filly, mindful of how Skyla was watching his every move. “There’s somepony that needs your help…”
Corduroy’s infirmary was a fair bit cooler and comfortable, though the floor had been warmed by the sun. As for Corduroy herself, she was mashing something up with a mortar and pestle, and lost in concentration as she was, only offered a nod of acknowledgment as greeting. Hollyhock was sitting up on a bed with her newborn held in the crook of her foreleg. Amber Dawn lay in the bed, close to her mother, and her brother, Lemongrass, kept a worried watch over his busted up, incapacitated sister.
“How is she?” Sundance asked, unsure of whom might answer.
“Hot,” Hollyhock replied. “Corduroy says it’s inflammation. I keep worrying about infection and fever.”
Head low, Sundance approached the bed, lifted one foreleg, and with a light, gentle touch, placed it upon the stricken filly’s neck. She was hot… hot enough to fry an egg on, and she trembled beneath his touch. Her eye did not open, nor did she speak, but her good ear flickered. With his guts twisting into knots, he pulled his hoof away.
“Amber, this is Corbie.” He gestured with his wing for Corbie to come closer and his ears pricked at the sound of stone scraping against stone as Corduroy performed her task. “Corbie here, she’s going to read to you. Skyla’s gone off to fetch some new books from the ship and Corbie is going to keep you company. Would you like that?”
At the promise of fresh entertainment, Amber stirred; with a feeble grunt, she lifted her head, her unswollen eye opened, and she looked up at Sundance. The sight of her made his heart feel heavy, his legs leaden, but with Skyla’s words still fresh in his mind, he remained resolute. Hollyhock was owed a confident baron.
“You like the sound of that, don’t you?” he asked.
Much to his surprise, Amber nodded.
“I’ve been trying to read to her, but I’m so tired. My voice goes—”
“I know,” Sundance said to Hollyhock. “Don’t explain yourself.”
“Thank you.” Hollyhock’s eyes brimmed with tears, and the emotional mare turned away, blinking.
“Corbie… Hollyhock just had a foal. It was a rough birth, and poor Holly hasn’t had much of a chance to recover because the ungrateful little cuss keeps her awake at night. Think you can help out?” Reaching out his wing, Sundance stroked Amber’s good ear as he spoke.
Saying nothing, Corbie offered up a shy nod.
“Maybe play a game or something with Lemongrass. Just be helpful, so that Holly here can get some rest. Can you do this for me?”
Again, Corbie nodded.
“Corduroy, you don’t mind having a little helper, do you?” asked Sundance.
“That’d be great,” the distracted nurse replied as she continued to pulp something bitter-smelling in her mortar and pestle.
“I’m going to leave now, so that you can get to know each other. Thank you, Corbie.” Sundance backed away, but only after he gave Amber one final affectionate pat.
“I have the new Daring Do novel,” Corbie said to Amber as Sundance neared the door. “Daring Do and the Harrowing Homunculus. I haven’t had a chance to read it yet. My father gave it to me in return for me agreeing to come here. We can go exploring with Daring Do together. I read to my brother when he’s sick and stressed out.”
As Sundance retreated out the door, he smiled.
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Neat
Also, first, apparently. I remember when first-posting was a fresh meme. It was probably 10 years ago, when I was around 12.
9556671
This is where I'd put my "Pepperidge Farm remembers" meme...
IF I HAD ONE!
9555337
oh okay
i remember now thanks
Remove
Or maybe even, "Spring Break: Fillies Gone Heartwarming"
Amber Dawn is dealing with being Spring Broke at the moment, though in the physical sense rather than the financial one that Copperquick has been in. Hm... well, I guess she is also broke in that sense, but the peasants don't use money themselves, so it's not quite the same.
I was a bit confused by the title at first, but it fits well now that i've read it. Hope poor Amber can keep the infections away. She's already going to have enough scars and damage as it is.
Hrm... while it may irritate Kudz, I've had to adjust my shipping sheet a bit here. While I still feel Corduroy would be best at being Baroness (despite the almost certain way it was shot down in the recent sample) due to Sundance's attitude towards her and her ability to flex between dominant and non as needed, I do think Skyla put herself on the nearby second rung. Like Corduroy, she either hits, or has the potential to hit, many of Sundance's buttons. In addition, we know that her parents likely want her to gain more practical experience before taking over... and a barony might be a good option. The other three females don't quite fit for various reasons (relative, property, or too timid).
That's not to say that Sundance might not go for a male... but the only potential we've really seen is Tumeric, and he's too submissive.
On to the chapter itself. Very nice character development here. Sundance is definitely picking up the skills of a proper Baron. Hopefully he realizes soon that he needs someone to do the dangerous things for him so that the peasantry don't loose their "light".
9557223
She's a child. No. Hard pass. Just like I keep telling others.
9557258
Eh, wasn't sure on the age difference. No worries. :)
This is a bit more multi level than I can get atm. But vastly intriguing to read.
It will be interesting to see what changes they can help make.
9556327
I agree with you that she is a kid and that it would be bad but she is kid on a political mission.
Arranged political marriages have been made with participants having more then 40 years age difference and engagements lasting more then 15 years, some arranged royal marriage happened days after birth, its sad but politics "forgets" age is important at times.
I am glad to see this is not the angle the story is taking.
And then I see next chapter is named "spring break fillies gone mild"
Thankfully not what is sounds like.
Weak leaders get challenged until they get better or get replaced with someone better. Best option here is to present a strong public image until it becomes second nature.
A surprise army of teenagers sounds a bit terrifying, but Sundance seems to like it.
Cheap price for all this help. Sundance just has to continue trying and doing his best.
That was a good plan for Corbie. Probably.
Had a rather rough and emotionally draining day. Read this helped make it a little better and easier.
I LOVE the lesson we get with Sundance & Corbie: Even if we're not good at a lot of things...it doesn't mean we do not have a useful skill to help others. That sometimes the Little Things can matter just as much than the Big Things.
It truly warms my heart to have such a nice story with real hope in it. Where we get to see the positive changes and the evolution of the Barony <3
Keep up the good work Kudzu! ^^